The Folklore Program at the University of Oregon is one of a few major centers of folkloristic research in the United States. With more than thirty participating faculty, our program provides an interdisciplinary approach to a Masters Degree, allowing students to create a focused course of study in their areas of interest.

Daniel Wojcik was a child when he first encountered the art of the untrained.

During trips, his family was always stopping at one roadside attraction or another. He was amazed by the famous Watts Towers of Los Angeles, made of rebar and concrete and reaching 90 feet into the air; Bottle Village, a collection of shrines and mosaic walkways in Southern California composed of landfill discards and found objects—25 years in the making—left him fascinated and wanting to learn more.

Bruno Seraphin, Folklore M.A. graduate, has published an article in The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy. The link is here — http://trumpeter.athabascau.ca/index.php/trumpet/article/view/1491/1711

Rewilding, “the Hoop,” and Settler Apocalypse

Bruno Seraphin

Abstract

This paper presents an ethnographic account of a grassroots network of mostly white-identified nomads who travel in the northwest United States’ Great Basin and Columbia Plateau regions. Living mostly on National Forest land, this movement of “rewilders” appropriates local Indigenous ...

This course explores how people use creative forms to bring meaning to their day-to-day lives and negotiate their identities and relationships with other people. We will examine varied types of folklore forms and folklore groups, the meanings they have for the people who create them, how they function, and relationships between folklore and social issues. In addition to learning about folklore, students will develop critical thinking and research skills and work